IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,500,537
Granted Patent B2
US 12,500,537 · App. 18/583,010 · Granted Dec 16, 2025

Motor drive control device and motor unit

Inventors: Tomotaka Sakuma (Nagano, JP); Masaaki Nishizawa (Nagano, JP); Masashi Muragi (Nagano, JP)
Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI Inc.
H02P21/36H02P21/0003H02P25/03H02P27/08
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,500,537
App. No.
18/583,010
Granted
Dec 16, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A motor drive control device includes a control circuit generating a drive control signal, and a drive circuit driving a motor. The drive circuit includes a plurality of switching legs each including a high-side transistor and a low-side transistor connected in series between a power line and a ground potential, and pull-up resistors each connected between the power line and a control electrode of the low-side transistor. The control circuit performs brake control to generate a drive control signal for turning off the high-side transistor and periodically switching the low-side transistor, when detecting a power supply voltage to be lower than a threshold voltage.

Claims (16)

1 . A motor drive control device, comprising:

a control circuit configured to output a drive control signal for driving a motor, the motor including multiphase coils; and

a drive circuit configured to drive the multiphase coils based on the drive control signal output from the control circuit, wherein

the drive circuit includes an inverter circuit including a plurality of switching legs configured to drive the multiphase coils, pull-up resistors, and a pre-drive circuit,

each of the plurality of switching legs includes a high-side transistor and a low-side transistor connected in series between a power line supplying a power supply voltage and a ground potential,

a node commonly connecting the low-side transistor and the high-side transistor is connected to one end of a corresponding one of the multiphase coils,

the low-side transistor and the high-side transistor each include a control electrode controlling an on/off of the low-side transistor and the high-side transistor,

the pull-up resistors are connected between the control electrode of the low-side transistor and the power line,

the pre-drive circuit drives the control electrode of the low-side transistor and the control electrode of the high-side transistor in response to the drive control signal, and

the control circuit performs brake control to generate the drive control signal for turning off the high-side transistor and periodically switching the low-side transistor in each of the plurality of switching legs, when detecting the power supply voltage to be lower than a threshold voltage.

2 . The motor drive control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit continues the brake control from detecting the power supply voltage to be lower than the threshold voltage until the control circuit becoming inoperable.

3 . The motor drive control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit continues the brake control for a predetermined period from detecting the power supply voltage to be lower than the threshold voltage.

4 . The motor drive control device according to claim 1 , wherein a signal, among the drive control signal for turning off the high-side transistor and periodically switching the low-side transistor, for driving the low-side transistor has a duty ratio of 50% or less.

5 . A motor unit, comprising:

the motor drive control device according to claim 1 ; and

the motor.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2024
From: SAKUMA, TOMOTAKA; NISHIZAWA, MASAAKI; MURAGI, MASASHI
To: MINEBEA MITSUMI INC.
Reel/Frame 066613/0747 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2023-028403 · Feb 27, 2023 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240291411A1 · Aug 29, 2024
References Cited (6)
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